


Stay

by TheBigLoserQueen



Series: Mutant AU [49]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Mutants, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Femslash, Comfort/Angst, Confessions, Het, Human, Kissing, Love Confessions, Multi, Mutants, Past Abuse, Past Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-09
Updated: 2015-09-09
Packaged: 2018-04-19 23:03:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4764290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBigLoserQueen/pseuds/TheBigLoserQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Axle finds out what Fireline's been hiding all this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay

Moonblast walked down the halls of the base, wrapped up in worry. Not about herself though. About Fireline. Ever since Axle had made the announcement that he was thinking of leaving to find more work in New York, she he had been so... depressed. Even if she did her best to try and hide it, Moonblast knew that her friend was not herself. She was listless and always looking so, so sad... 

Her hands balled up into fists. Stupid Axle. This was all his fault! He was only thinking of himself. He wasn't about how any of them felt! She didn't want him to leave either and neither did anyone else on the team. But no. He wanted to leave. He had hurt Fireline and he didn't even care!

Though, i wasn't like Fireline had told anyone but her about her feeling for Axle. How Fireline really, really liked him... But the older woman had said she would never tell him about it. She didn't want to be a burden, even though Moonblast had tried to reassure her that she wouldn't be. But Fireline was stubborn. She refused to tell Axle about how she felt. And now she was miserable. 

Moonblast turned the corner, only to freeze up when she saw Axle's back to her, the man also walking down the hallway.

He didn’t notice her, too lost in his thoughts. It had been a couple of weeks since he told everyone he was thinking of going to New York. He had expected everyone to accept his desire to move... Well, no. Not everyone. He knew Cellus was going to be upset. But going to New York would be for his future. There was work and stability up there for a construction worker like him. This time he was making a smart decision. 

Despite that, no one agreed with it. Cellus was, of course, upset, but he was surprised that the others were too. Though they were just trying to talk him out of it more than anything else. 

Except for Fireline. She hadn’t been acting like herself since he said he wanted to leave. She had barely said a word to him since that time. Any time he did try to talk to her, she seemed to brush him off with some excuse. Axle had thought about confronting her about it, but he did not want to overstep his boundaries. He knew Fireline had always been guarded... Still, something seemed wrong. 

He didn't want to push though. And ever since that whole event at that party, talking to her felt a little weird. He had no idea what the hell was wrong with him, but being around Fireline just made him feel off. He had already talked to Cellus about it and she had given him a reason. One he wasn't sure if he thought was true or not. 

As he continued to walk down the hallway, Moonblast’s hands balled into fists. A wave of anger swelled into her chest. Even though Fireline was in pain and suffering... He was only thinking about himself!

Before she even realized it, she had taken off her ballet flat and hurled it at the back of his head.

Axle stopped when he felt the sudden smack on the back of his head. He reached up to rub his neck before turning around, ready to glare and demand to know what the hell he did. But his eyes widened when he saw Moonblast standing a few feet away from him. Her hand was raised slightly and shaking. She was glaring at him and she looked like she was about to cry.

"Moonblast?”

"You big stupid insensitive jerk!"

Axle couldn't even respond. What the hell did he do this time?

"It's all your fault!" she shrieked.

She was shaking like mad and she could feel the tears starting to spill from the corners of her eyes. She didn't care what his reasons were for leaving. He was hurting Fireline. Primus, she could still remember when Axle had first announced his decision. How sad and hurt Fireline was, how she had almost started to cry... But Fireline held back her tears since she hated crying. But even if she didn't cry, Fireline was still suffering.

"You're the worst!" she cried, throwing her hands down at her sides, shaking even harder than before. "Y-You won't even considering how Fireline feels! Why won't you ever think about her?!"

Axle wasn't sure how to react. Just what in the hell was Moonblast talking about? Though he was worried when she said Fireline was upset. So he had been right… Something was wrong. But it didn't make sense. Why would she be so upset over him leaving? He couldn't figure it out. 

"What did I do?"

Moonblast tensed up when she saw the look on his face. Oh crap. She had almost blurted out what Fireline didn't want her to ever tell anyone! And to the guy she liked, of all people! Panicking with tears still pouring down her cheeks, she shook her head violently.

"N-Nothing! J-Just forget I said anything!" she sobbed out, reaching up to wipe the tears out of her eyes.

How could he just forget she said anything? She had just thrown her shoe at him and proceeded to yell at him. Now she wanted him to just forget about it? He walked up to the younger woman with a dark look on his face.

"Moonblast."

She looked up at him, only to sink in on herself because of the look on his face.

Axle forced himself to calm down. Right, Moonblast was intimidated by guys. Especially if they were bigger than her, like he certainly was. And he didn't want to come across like he was angry with her. He just wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"What's wrong with Fireline?"

Moonblast couldn't handle the look on his face or his voice's low tenor calm. She burst into tears and buried her face into her hands, shaking and sobbing hard. But she couldn't lie. Fireline was suffering so much and hiding the truth would just hurt her more...

Still sobbing hard, she finally choked out, "Fireline likes you! S-She r-really, re-really likes you!"

Axle froze. She… Fireline liked him? No… No, that…

"...What?"

Moonblast wasn't able to respond right away. She was still crying and sobbing loudly, shaking and unable to stop. She felt awful for telling Axle Fireline's secret, but she had just looked and been so miserable this past week! She didn't know what else to do! And she couldn't lie after getting her emotions all out of control like this...

"F-Fireline likes you...!" she managed to choke out, moving her hands to hold them to her chest. "Sh-She really likes you...! Sh-She didn't want you to know, b-but...! But...!"

Unable to finish her sentence, she started to cry again, though softer this time.

Axle had a hundred things racing through his mind. Fireline liked him. She was hurt. Because he said he wanted to leave. Because she liked him. He wanted to leave, so she was suffering. She didn’t want him to know. She didn't want him to know how she felt. Like how he didn’t want Cellus to know he had loved for as long as he did.

He knew that pain, that heartache. He could only imagine what Fireline was going through… And to know that he was the one hurting her like this? It pained him. Fireline didn’t deserve that. She was a good person. Kind and always wanting to help, blunt when needed, soft when necessary. She was a good doctor, a good friend, a good woman... She didn't deserve to feel this way. So why was he doing it to her?

"Where's Fireline now?"

"Th-The med-med-medbay..." she whimpered out, still crying hard as she tried to stop, though unsuccessful.

Axle nodded. Slowly, he reached up his hands to gently grip Moonblast's shoulders.

The poor girl flinched, but looked up, tears still in her eyes.

"I'm gonna go talk to her, okay?" he said, gently rubbing her shoulders. "So just... please stop crying." 

It seemed to work as Moonblast perked up a bit. He was going to go talk to her? Now?! Well, she supposed now was better than never... She only hoped things would turn out okay for Fireline. She just wanted her friend to be happy too... And she trusted Axle. He had never lied before.

"O-Okay...!" she sobbed out, rubbing her eyes and ruining her make-up even more. "B-But... Pl-Please... D-Don't make her sadder... Please?"

"I won't. I promise."

Then he moved to walk down the opposite direction of the hall, towards the med-bay. He was still in shock about what Moonblast had said. Fireline liked him. She actually liked him... He couldn't believe it. He never would have thought that anyone would love him. Even when he wanted Cellus to love him like that, in the back of his mind, he had always known she wouldn't. And when his feelings had started getting strange towards Fireline... Primus, this was all so much.

He had to Fireline. Now. 

* * *

Fireline was tired. She simply wasn't getting enough sleep. Mainly because she couldn't. She was too busy thinking about... Axle. About how he wanted to leave. About how she might never be able to see him again. 

She shouldn't have been surprised by his announcement. She was a mind reader; she should have read his when she had the chance. But she also never wanted to intrude either, so she didn't. And maybe that was why she had been a bit shocked when he had told everyone his plans. 

Her hand balled into a fist. No. It wasn't shock. She had been... hurt. He was... leaving. He was going to New York. She would hardly ever see him because he would be out and working in another state and away... It had hurt a lot more than she had anticipated. She had wanted to stop him. To tell him now to go... But she wasn't and would never be that type of woman. This was Axle's choice, and she was merely his friend. She had no right to object or fight him on it. Even though she wished he would stay... There was nothing she could do.

If she was his girlfriend, maybe. But she wasn't. He didn't see her that way; he was in love with Cellus, not her. There was nothing she could do to stop him. So she just kept to herself and didn't talk about it. It was just easier this way. 

There was a sudden knock on the door frame. Fireline looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw it was Axle. Damn it, she did not want to face him right now... She should have closed the door. But she didn't want to be a bitch either. Still, she couldn't bring herself to speak. They just stared at each other. 

Neither of them said anything, leaving a weird tension building in the room. Even with her not saying anything, he could tell that something wasn't right. She would always greet whoever came into the room. Her hair seemed a little out of place, her makeup wasn't as bright as usual... And she looked so tired. And it was all his fault. 

"...Can I come in?" he asked. 

She gave a bit of a sluggish sigh and stood up. "Sure."

Axle walked inside, though feeling a little… nervous. Primus, he couldn’t really recall a time he had been nervous. And he honestly wasn’t sure why he was so nervous either. She was the one who was being confronted. Maybe he was worried he misunderstood Moonblast. Or maybe she misunderstood Fireline, he didn't know. But before he could say something, she walked over to the shelves. She looked like she was trying to reorganize them a bit. But he knew she was just pretending to be busy. 

He took a deep breath as he stopped, staring down at the older woman's back. He was unsure why, but he actually felt a little upset that he was unable to look her in the eyes. He didn't like her back facing him.

"Fireline?"

He noticed her flinch a little at her name.

"I… talked to Moonblast."

"Hmm." But she didn't say anything else. She wasn't really in the mood to talk, though she wasn't exactly a fan of the rather awkward, dense silence. Where was Warpdrive when she actually needed him? She would have killed for his constant chattering right now. 

That wasn't the response Axle had expected. He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling very awkward and unsure. But as much as he thought about leaving, he knew he needed to keep going. He had to find out the truth about all of this.

"Well... She told me..." Damn it, he just needed to be spit it out already. "She said… you’ve been upset lately. And it’s… my fault."

Fireline hands stopped in mid air, still holding some vials in her hand. She didn't have to be a mind reader to know what the younger girl had probably said to him. Though, it did help her in knowing exactly what she had said to Axle.

Damn it, Moonblast... She wasn't too surprised though. Moonblast wasn't the best at keeping a secret. And Moonblast had continuously tried telling her that she should tell Axle how she felt. But that girl just didn't understand. She wasn't like everyone else. She wasn't like every other girl... She was too much of a burden for anyone. She never wanted to become something like that for Axle.

Still, she could play dumb. "...Did she now?"

"Well... Yes."

Now what? Was he supposed to just tell her exactly what Moonblast said? Or would that be too much to throw at her right away?

"I just... I’m sory. Moonblast said that you were upset because... because of me. And... I would never want to do anything to hurt you..."

"Are you going to tell me what she told you or am I just going to have to get to the point?"

Axle stiffened. Damn it, now he had made her even more upset.

"I..."

He noticed that made Fireline clench her fists. Better to just get out with it then.

"She told me that you liked me."

A heavy silence followed. Fireline did not move nor did she say anything. She didn't even attempt to read his mind. She was too frightened to know what he was thinking. This was why she had never planned to tell him in the first place. She didn’t want to be rejected by the only guy she had ever liked. She didn't want to read Axle's mind and find out that he was going to reject her before he even said it. She just couldn't do it.

She slowly put down the vials she was holding, her entire body suddenly feeling weak and sick to her stomach. She could feel her hands starting to tremble and she couldn't bring herself to face him. Not when she could feel herself wanting to cry.

A pathetic and tired smile graced her face as she closed her eyes, wanting to get this over with. "I see... So now you know then."

So it was true. She really did like him. And now he found himself excited, causing another swirl of emotions to run through him. Ever since that night at Solara's party, after he had saved Fireline from that creep, she had been on his mind a lot. He had started to feel overprotective of her. Anytime she ever got unwanted attention from other men he became agitated.

He had even talked to Cellus about. He didn’t expect her to give the advice she did. But now… Now with all of this happening, he had to wonder if what Cellus said was true.

Did he actually like Fireline too?

Finally, he asked, "… How long?"

"... Since you saved me from that asshole from the party," she said quietly. She couldn't help but to be slightly agitated. If he was going to reject her, she would rather just get it over with now. She had always been impatient, she supposed.

So it was the same for her. Why didn’t he realize it sooner? He was no longer in love with Cellus, but he knew what it was like to have feelings for someone. Why didn’t he realize sooner that he now liked Fireline? Maybe it had just been too soon since Cellus, he didn’t know… But knowing that Fireline liked him maybe his heart race a bit. His excitement was growing, as was his nervousness. It had been way too long since he had felt like this.

Fireline couldn’t take the silence anymore and finally demanded, "Are you going to tell me your response or am I just going to have to tell you I understand already?"

She didn’t want to be rude, but she hated how he was taking his time with this. She knew that she shouldn't be mad at him. He was probably trying to consider her feelings and be gentle about all of this... He had always been kind that way.

But right now, she did not want to deal with that sort of kindness.

Axle's eyes widened. Did she already know how he felt? Well, maybe she did… She was a mind reader after all.

"You… already understand?"

She gave a heavy huff as she felt herself curl up into her body, almost as if she was trying to make herself even smaller than she already was. But she couldn't help it. She was terrified. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking as she held them to her chest. Her legs felt heavy and she thought her knees were starting to buckle. Damn it, she did not want to break down in front of him... She did not want to cry over this.

"... I heard you confess to Cellus that one time," she whispered quietly. "I mean, I've always known... And why wouldn't you like her? Cellus... is cute. Physically and in her personality. She's very sweet and kind and I know she's always been there for you. So I've always known that you loved her."

Axle frowned at that. She was right; he did love Cellus. But even after his accidental confession, he knew it would not change anything. Cellus was in love with Solara, and there was nothing he could do to change that. He told himself he had to finally just accept that they could never be together in the way he had always wanted.

But just because he had loved her all these years, it didn’t mean that no other woman had ever peeked his interest. He had always admired Fireline for her knowledge and strength. And he would be lying if he said he had never taken note of her beauty either.

“Cellus and I... Together... It was never gonna happen. And... as hard as it was at first, I’ve learned to accept that."

Fireline smiled again, shaking her head. Her feelings were the same with Axle... He was never supposed to know and they were never supposed to be. She could understand his pain a little bit... But she knew beating around the bush would just make things worse.

"Axle... I know I'm not cute like Cellus. I'm not sweet or patient like her either. And Cellus is your ideal type… I will never be like that." She gripped her hands tighter, her voice starting to shake as he legs just grew heavier. "I... I'm not an ideal anything, especially not an ideal girlfriend. I... have too much baggage for any man to handle... I couldn't even be a proper girlfriend anyway. I... I don't even know if I could have sex with someone and enjoy it. No... guy wants a girl like that."

Damn it, she hissed in her head as her throat tightened up, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. No. No, she would not cry. She had not cried since she was a little girl... She would not cry now, especially not over something like that, no matter how much her chest hurt.

"So..." she muttered out, voice cracking. "When... I say I understand... I... understand why you... wouldn't want... me."

Axle had no idea what to say. His throat had completely closed up. He tried to open his mouth to say something, but he couldn't. He didn't know what to do, so he just acted on instinct.

He dropped down on one knee and gripped Fireline by her shoulders. Then he quickly turned her around to face him; the look on her face made his body ache. He had never seen her look so sad. Hell, she even had tears in her eyes, and it was all because of him.

Without even thinking, he pulled her forward and crushed her mouth against his in a rough kiss.

Fireline froze up, entire body tensing. What... was happening? Did he... kiss her? Did Axle seriously just kiss her? Normally, if anyone else were to do that, she would have fought back, but... those guys weren't Axle. They weren't someone she had liked and had never expected to be kissed by. Axle... didn't like her. He... didn't find her attractive. He would never want to kiss her...

And yet, here he was. Kissing her roughly. And it felt… good. Weird, but good. She didn’t feel scared, though maybe it was because she was too shocked to react.

Axle, feeling her tense up, realized that was probably the wrong move. He was being too forceful. What if doing this actually made her feel worse? What if it scared her?

Slowly, he pulled away, opening his eyes to look at her. He was greeted her wide-eyed and shocked expression, bottom lip trembling as she could just stare at him.

The tears in her eyes finally started to spill over and run down her cheeks, but she just continued to stare at him with wide eyes, confused and mind blank. But she was able to find her voice as she finally whispered out. "I... I don't understand... what?"

Axle moved one hand up to wipe her tears away with his thumb before leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers.

"What could make you think that I would never want you?"

Fireline was even more confused. Why would he even want her to begin with?! Oh... Oh wait. Axle... was a nice person. He never wanted to hurt his friends' feelings... She was no exception. He didn't want her... He just didn't want to hurt her feelings. This... This was pity. Only pity and nothing more.

She tore her face away from his and reached up to push at his chest, trying to remove herself from his grip. "Please don't pity me," she begged desperately, her tears starting to fall faster. Primus, she felt sick to her stomach knowing that she was crying like this. She was not a child... She didn't have any reason to cry...

Axle wouldn't let her go. He couldn't let her go. Why wouldn't she understand what he was trying to say? He would never play her like that.

"This isn’t pity. Why-?"

"I-I know..." she whispered out, voice cracking and throat tight. "I-I know the last thing you want t-to do is... is hurt someone's feelings..."

Primus, this was tortuous. She just wanted to crawl under a rock and die there. She felt embarrassed, humiliated, hurt, frustration, fear... She couldn't handle it, despite her desperate attempts to push away from him and hide somewhere where he could never find her. But he was way too strong for her to push off and she didn't want hurt him by using her powers...

"Y-You love Cellus... M-My feelings... Th-They don't actually mean anything... Y-You're only being like this... because you're a good person... You've... always... always been a good person..." Then she couldn't stop the tears from pouring down, sobs escaping past her lips as she hung her head, unable to look at him anymore.

Axle didn't know what to do. Seeing her like this tore him apart. Fireline was never like this. So sad and crying and sobbing helplessly… She hated crying, but here she was. And it was all his fault too. He didn't know how to stop it. He didn't know how to make her understand.

He pulled her into his chest and leaned against her shoulder, shaking his head.

"I wouldn't have kissed you just to make you feel better, and I wouldn't lie to you either. I do love Cellus, but... it’s changed. I still love her, but not like that… She’s just an important person to me."

Fireline just sniffled and sobbed softly. That felt... relieving to hear, but... What did that mean for her? Axle... didn't even like her. He had never expressed any interest in her... Primus, she was certain that he didn't even find her attractive... Though she did know he wouldn't lie to her, why would he kiss her?

"Th-Then... why... k-kiss me?" she whimpered out, hands gripping his shirt tightly as she knees started to buckle. If it weren't for Axle holding her, she thought for certain that she would have slumped to the ground by now.

Axle was quiet for a moment. Should he just out right tell her his feelings? He had to do something. He couldn't stand to see her cry.

"Because... I like you too. After that night at Solara's party, I just... couldn't stand the sight of that man on top of you. I could have killed that guy… And I have not been able to stop thinking about you.”

"B-But.. You... don't find... me... at-attractive... I thought..."

He couldn't help but let out a small laugh at that. He knew this was no time to be laughing, but he couldn't help it.

"Fireline, I think you are beautiful. But... I didn’t want you to think I was like all those other guys who lusted after you like some sort of animal. And... I never thought that you would like a guy like me."

She couldn't help but to give a small laugh, her tears slowing down a bit. "And what sort of guy do you think you are? I like good people... And you're a good person. I've told you this before."

"No. I'm not. I've hurt too many people… I could never deserve someone like you."

"... You think too highly of me," she murmured quietly, hanging her head. "I... I'm not that great. I... You've made mistakes, Axle. We all have. But... But I also just have... problems. I... I am afraid of sex. And I've been afraid of relationships too because of it. I don't know if I'll ever make my partner happy... And I don't want to leave anyone unsatisfied... That is, if anyone wanted to sleep with someone as dirty as me."

"You do realize I slept with almost every girl at our school, right?"

She gave a small huff and shook her head. "At least it wasn't like you slept with your stepfather and half-brother from ages ten to fifteen."

A bit of rage boiled in him when she said that. Not because of her though. But because of those fuckers… How could they have done that to her? Disgusting rapists monsters. It was because of them that she felt this way. It was all their fault.

Axle gripped her by the shoulders almost too hard, and pushed her away from him, just enough that he could look at her as he snarled, "What they did to you wasn’t your fault!"

Her eyes widened and she winced back at the yell and slight pain in her shoulders. But Axle quickly forced himself to calm down, loosening his grip. He didn’t want to yell at her, but he had to get his point across.

"You’re not dirty, Fireline. What happened wasn’t your fault… You’re beautiful, no matter what they did.”

Fireline bit her lip. Yes, her therapist had told her that she wasn't dirty, but that was her job. She was supposed to tell her that she wasn't dirty, even though feeling that way was understandable. Still, to hear it from someone she liked... It was slightly relieving. And it felt... nice to hear. She had never been told that before...

Not wanting to cry again, she hung her head and whispered out, "... Thank you."

He gave a small smile. Slowly, he brought his hand under her chin, tilting her face back up to look at him. When she didn’t resist, he leaned down and kissed her again. This time much more softly. And this time, when his lips touched hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back, more tears trickling down her face but she paid no mind to them.

She was just content with the kiss.

* * *

A whole week had gone by since their little moment in the medical bay, but Axle was fretting. Ever since that evening... Ever since they had confessed their feelings... Ever since they kissed, Fireline had been avoiding him. He didn't understand what he had done wrong. He thought he had actually done something right for once.

He wondered if Fireline regretted what happened between them. He was hoping to be able to talk to her more after that. He wanted to try and form a relationship with her, but did she not want the same thing? 

The more he thought about it, the more he worried that he may have gone too far. Maybe he shouldn’t have kissed her. Maybe he was too forward. Maybe he was too rough with her.

Even now, everyone was relaxing in the rec-room, watching some movie, but Axle was unable to pay attention to the screen. Instead, his gaze kept shifting over to Fireline, who was seated on the opposite side of the room. She wouldn't even look at him.

Fireline knew that Axle was looking at her. She could feel his gaze on her. But she forced herself to ignore him, keeping focus on the movie that Warpdrive had picked out. She felt bad for not acknowledging Axle's gaze, but damn it, she was embarrassed! She didn't know how to face him after that!

She bit her lip before licking her bottom one. Even though it had been a week, she could still feel his lips against hers. He... certainly was experienced with kissing, that was for sure. Though, what was she expecting? He had slept with a lot of girls, so naturally he had plenty of experience... Ugh, now she was remembering and getting embarrassed again, making her lick her lip again.

Damn it, he couldn't stand this. Just watching her was driving him insane, and the way she kept licking her lip like that was not helping. It made him want to taste her again. He was half tempted to just march up to her and pull her into his lap and kiss her senseless. He didn't care who saw. He just wanted to kiss her again.

But he wouldn't do that. Not to Fireline. He would not want to embarrass her like that. But he needed to do something. He just wanted to talk to her. To ask her what he had been playing over and over in his mind for the last week.

Fuck it. He wasn't going to wait any longer. He had to know what her response would be. If she did reject him, then that would make his final decision to leave. He had nothing else to lose after all.

He finally rose up from his seat and headed towards the rec-room doors, but before he left, he turned around. He suddenly felt a lot more nervous than he did a few moments ago, but he couldn’t back out now.

"Fireline."

It took her a moment. She really did not want to look at him, but she could not just ignore him either, not when he called out to her.

She slowly turned her head, just barely peeking over the back of her chair to look at him.

"Can I... Talk to you for a minute... Alone?"

Fireline bit the inside of her cheek. Shit, she knew this would happen eventually... She couldn't avoid him forever, despite her embarrassment. And if she said no in front of everyone... She didn't want them to know something was up. Especially not when she didn't even know what was going on between her and Axle herself.

"Oooo~~~ You must be in trouble~~~"

Fireline frowned and looked back at Warpdrive, who was smiling at her with that stupid grin of his. Annoyed, she grabbed the pillow next to her and threw it at his face, making the man let out a small sound as she stood up. She glanced at Cellus on her way out, who just seemed to be looking at Axle. Did she know? Did Axle tell her about what happened between them?

Well no... Though she felt a little bad for intruding, she could read in her mind that the younger girl didn't know. Which was she was slightly relieved for since this was between her and Axle... Not Cellus. It was stupid and petty of her to be slightly envious of their closeness, but she couldn’t help it. She wished she was close to him like her.

And after this past week, she wished for that even more.

Axle led her down the hallway, but never said anything. He didn't want to talk about this somewhere where someone could walk in on them, or where someone could spy one them. And by someone, he meant Warpdrive.

He knew the best place to have a private conversation would be in either of their rooms. Since his was the closest he figured that would be the best.

He could hear Fireline's footsteps behind him. By the way she was walking, it was easy to tell that she was nervous too or at least unsure. Axle didn't know which. But he didn’t want to make her feel this way. He wanted her to feel happy and comfortable around him. That was why he wanted to talk to her in the first place.

Finally, they reached his room and he opened the door, beckoning for her to go inside. She hesitated, still feeling nervous about what he would say to her. But she walked inside anyway, Axle following her in and locking the door behind them.

She stiffened when she heard the lock snap, making her look up at him with wide eyes. He seemed to realize what he had done probably wasn't the best move. Damn it, he knew how she would be whenever she was in a room with another man alone. Why was he always fucking up like this?

He opened his mouth to apologize, but she just took a deep breath and shook her head. Now she just felt silly... This was Axle. He would never do something she didn't want to do. Once she calmed herself down, she slowly looked up at the giant man and said, "What did you want to talk about?"

Axle motioned her to sit down on his bed, mentally thanking Primus that he had straightened up the place this morning. He sat down beside her, shifting a little while trying to think of what to say.

"I..." He paused. What did he want to say? He didn't want to just ask his question right away and overwhelm her. He wanted to talk about everything first.

"I just... miss you..."

Wow. That sounded really fucking pathetic.

Fireline looked at him, a bit surprised. But once his words sunk in, she looked away and cleared her throats, her cheeks heating up a little as she rubbed the back of her neck. Well, it was her fault that he was probably like this... But she just didn't know how to face him! It wasn't like she had ever confessed to anyone before... Or actually have to face the person she liked after said confession. And kissing session.

"... I'm sorry," she murmured softly, hanging her head as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

Shit, he didn't want her to apologize. What was she apologizing?!

He moved his hands up put paused just before touching her shoulders. He wanted to hug her, but he didn't think he had the right. At least, not right now.

"Y-You don't need to be sorry. I just... I just wanted to talk to you. About... About what happened last week."

She should have known that was what he wanted to discuss. Still, she was incredibly hesitate about it... She didn't even know how to approach him on this! She had confessed... They had kissed... And that was it. They never talked about anything beyond that. Mainly because she had been avoiding him out of her own embarrassment.

"... I guess it's unavoidable," she mumbled, suddenly feeling tired. She lied back down on the bed and threw her arms over her face, trying to hide herself from him. She wasn't sure if she could really look at him yet... Not when she was so damn embarrassed.

"... Is there something you want to say?"

Axle's gaze shifted off to the side. He felt horrible for that thought that had just crossed his mind, but he had really liked the sight of her on his bed like that.

His cheeks heated up a bit as he thought. He knew what he wanted to say, but he was a little unsure of exactly how to say it. Maybe the best way would be to slowly get to that point.

" Did I overstep my boundaries that day? If so, I'm sorry-"

"No, no, no... You didn't," she reassured him, removing her arms from her face and moving them to her sides as she leaned up a bit. "... I just didn't know how to face you. I... was embarrassed."

Embarrassed? So that's what the problem was? She was being shy? Well he had to admit that it made him feel a little better. Plus, it made her seem even cuter than she already was. 

"Is it... because I kissed you?"

She blushed and looked off to the side. "And what if it was?"

"Should I not have?"

"... That's not what I meant," she mumbled. "I... I just meant... I was... embarrassed. And didn't know how to face you."

That made him think for a moment, and he had an idea, but only if she was ok with it. 

"Can I... kiss you again?"

She jerked her head to look at him, face turning red. Oh Primus, he was serious! She bit her bottom lip and looked down at her stomach, debating with herself for a moment. Well... It wasn't like she hated kissing him. In fact, she had enjoyed it. It was just... odd, she supposed, considering she had never kissed anyone she had liked before.

"... Ye... Yes."

He nodded, leaning down to gently press his lips on her. Fireline felt a small shiver go through her body when their lips touched, but it wasn't unpleasant. Axle just gently molded his lips against hers, allowing her to relax and even stretch up a hand to hold the back of his head in place. It was a very sweet kiss, one that she liked and hoped Axle also enjoyed as well... She didn't know if he wanted to kiss rougher than this, but she didn't really want to change how it was. At least not right now.

Axle didn't want to pull away. He really didn't, but he knew he needed to tell her what was on his mind. He wouldn't hold it in any longer.

Slowly, he pulled away, though paused for a moment, allowing their lips to lightly brush against each other before completely pulling away.

"Fireline... I’m still considering going to New York."

She flinched at that, tilting her head down slightly and looking away from him. But Axle tilted her chin up and cupped her face slightly in his large hands.

"But now... I don't know. Because... I don't want to leave you."

Fireline just gave him a confused look. He still thought about leaving. But he didn’t want to leave her. And he was unsure. Did he think she didn’t want him here? That he still thought that there was no reason for him to remain here... Which hurt. She felt like she had been hit in the stomach. 

"Don't..."

She stopped, feeling a lump get caught up in her throat. No... No, she wanted him to stay, but she didn't want to get in the way if this was something he truly wished to do. She would never want to force her wants onto someone else...

But she couldn't bear the thought of him leaving. She just didn't want to accept that. Not him... Anyone else but him.

"Please..." she begged softly, reaching up to grip his wrists, holding onto him as if he would disappear if she let go. "Please... Don't... Don't go."

Axle felt his heart drop at the sound of her voice. He never realized how much it hurt him to see her so upset. And it was because of him, because she didn’t want him to go.

He slumped forward, practically engulfing her again as he pulled her against his chest and buried his face in her neck.

He couldn't help his body from shaking a little. His lips grazed lightly against her neck as he murmured, "I want you to be the reason I stay. I want you to be the reason that I could never leave."

Fireline fought back the urge to cry. She... had never been happier. This feeling... She was certain that she had never felt it before. She wanted to cry, but out of pure happiness, pure joy...

Axle felt his heart pounding as he hugged her tighter, "Fireline, will... will you be mine?" 

Axle wanted her. He wanted her to be his and his alone. Someone actually wanted her. He didn't think she was dirty or wrong or anything... He cared about her and wanted to be with her... He would stay for her.

Her hands moved to his back, gripping at his shirt tightly as she tried to keep herself calm and collect. She couldn't cry, she couldn't cry... She had to answer him, despite her throat closing up. She had to try.

"Y...Ye... Yes..." she croaked out, feeling the tears starting to spill again. Damn it, she didn't want to cry! Not now... Not when she was so happy. "Stay with me. "I... I'll be yours... So... So stay with me... Pl... Please."

Axle let out a hard breath he had not even realized he had been holding. She accepted. Fireline actually accepted to be his girlfriend.

He couldn't help but to squeeze her just a little tighter, his whole body began to shake. He finally had someone he could call his, and they wanted him back.

His voice cracked as he whispered in her ear, "Th-Thank you... I won't leave. I-I promise. I’ll stay here with you."

She didn't even mind that he had held her tighter. If anything, she hugged back even more and smiled as she buried her face into his large, warm chest. Yes... Yes... He wasn't going to leave. He wouldn't leave her. She was his...

And he was hers.


End file.
